Phase-modifying apparatus.



H. J. BLAKESLEE.

PHASE MODIFYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 8, 19 12.

1,175,222. Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

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UUIMUU t v LU I au 2 u s- Q HENRY J'. IBLAKESLEE, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

PHASE-MODIFYING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 191

Application filed March 8, 1912. Serial No. 682,446.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that ,I, HENRY J. BLAKEsLnE, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, 1n the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Phase-Mod fying Apparatus, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an apparatus for modifying the phase relation between the current and electro-motive forces in testing alternating current meters.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, it may be stated that when an electric meter and particularly a watt meter or watt-hour meter is used on'alternating current circuits it should accurately measure true power or energy not only when the current passing through the series winding and the electro-motive force impressed upon thetshunt winding are co-mcldent in phase relation but also when the phase of such current and electro-motive force are not co-incident. In other words the meter should register correctly in a circuit of unity power factor and also in a c1rcu1t of less than such factor.

In determining whether or not a meter registers correctly under different conditions of phase relation of current and electro-motive force, or, as more commonly expressed, under different power factors, its registration under such different conditions must be compared with the true values or amounts which it should register. In the case of watt-meters or watt-hour meters this comparison is usually made by comparing such meter with a standardized meter of the same class.' The different conditions of phase relation in current and electro-motive force 'are customarily brought about by changes in the phase of the current, the time phase of the electro-motive force remaining substantially unchanged. When meters are tested in a laboratory,.the common practice for obtaining a power factor of less than unity is to produce a lagging current by means of an inductive load or b duced into the path of the current.

One of the objects of my present inven-- tion is to provide simple means whereby different conditions of phase relations are produced at will by changing the phase ofthe electro-motive force, the phase of the curmeans of inductive apparatus introrent remaining substantially constant or in a substantially constant relation to the phase of the impressed electro-motive force in the circuit supplying thev current. In other words I have sought to obviate the use of inductive load devices which usually consist of coils of wire 'wound upon iron cores and are more or less expensive and must be provided in addition to the noninductive resistances.

Another object is to enable the phase relation to be predetermined sothat it will be unnecessary to use a power factor meteror to compute such factor from instrument readings.

' ,A further object changes in the current are accompanied bychanges in the phase relation.

is to enable the phase relation to be kept substantially constant and at the desired value, while the amount Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description:

In the drawings Figure'l is a'diagrammatic view of a meter testing system em-' .bodying various features if myinvention. Flg. 2 is a geometric illustration of a method of changing the phase.

The apparatus forming the subject matter of my present invention is adapted to 'be used in connection with any alternating current circuit and in order that it maV be clearly understood, I have shown a threephase generator --A- and circuit wires a'-, 'a'' and a connected thereto.

The meter under test as and also the standardized meter as.S are shown as having their current winding -0 and -0- connected in series with each other and across the main line circuit by wires b and include in such connection a noninductive current receiving de ice such as a non-inductive resistance R in series with the current wind ngs of the meter under test and standardized meter. The potential windings as ;0 and ;v' of these meters are connected in multiple with each other. Y

The functions and operation of the parts thus far. described are well known to those skilled in this art and it will therefore be unnecessary to further describe the same except as they are correlated to the means and -p substantially constant. results may be accomplished by the use of hereinafter described for changing the phase of the electro-motive force impressed upon the shunt coil 39 of the meter. In order that this change in the phase relation may be clearly understood 1 have shown in Fig; 2

a geometric diagram illustrating the method of bringing about these phase changes, said diagram being triangular and having its three sides as AB, BC and CA representing the electro-motive forces between the three conductors of a triphase circuit in their phase relations.

A current receiving device, as an impedance coil or auto transformer --E is connected to oneof the points as .C of the triangular diagram and is adapted to be brought into contact with any one of a number of diiferentpoin'ts as 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., in another impedance coil or auto transformer H in the opposite side as AB for producing corresponding diflerences in phases. For example, if this current receiving, device or impedance coil E is connected between the point and the, contact point 1, the electro-motive force .impressed upon the part Ewill dilfer in phase from the electro-motive force between CA by that part of a period which the angle (--1 CA) bears to360 and in like manner other differences in phase can be produced by connecting the impedance coil E-' between the point ;G and the contace points 2, 3, 41, etc., in the side AB of the impedance coil H- g It is evident that if the current to-the meter -M is taken between CA through a non-inductive load, and the shunt coil" 39 'of the meter M is connected between the point C and the contact points 1, 2, 3, etc., selectively, the phase relation of electro-motive-force and current supplied to the meter -M- may be changed at will. a It is also evident that if the shunt coil of the meter M is connected between the point O'- and the contact points 1, 2, 3, etc., selectively, the voltage supplied to said shunt coil will be different in amount when connected to one point as 1 from that when connected to either of the other points as --2. and in order to maintain the same value of voltage, it is advisable to cdnnect the shunt winding 1) of the meter M to one end of the impedance coil E- which is provided with a series of taps so arranged thatby connecting the proper tap of the impedance coil E- to the proper tap of the other impedance coil H, it not only controls the phase but also holds the voltage inithe shunt or potential windings -;v- These many difierent forms of apparatus and in Fig.1-a1 is shown diagrammatically a simple {,exemplification of such apparatus T involving the'suseof two auto-transformers of a rotary electric conductor or switch member t having a suitable operating member t for rotating the switch member -t so as to connect diametrically opposite taps selectively.

Referring now to the diagram in Fig. 2 in which the sides AB, BC and CD represent both the relative values' and phase relations of the electro-motive forces existing in a normal three phase circuit, and H represents an auto-transformer connected so as to receive electro-motive forces AB, and E another transformer connected wholly or in part between the point C and point 5, then following from the well known fact that two alternating electro-motive forces of different values and phases combine to form a resultant which in amount and phase is dependent upon the value and time phase of each, it will be read.- ily seen by anyone conversant with this artthat the electro-motive forces between C and 5 will be the resultant of the electro-motive forces CA and A5 and will have a value 05 and the phase shown by the direction of the line C5.

I If an auto-transformer E- isconnected.

to the 'electro-motive force C5 and is provided withan extension to its winding having a number of turns which bear the same relation to the number of turns in the por- .tion connected to the electro-motive force C, that the length 5e bears to the length C5, the electro-motive forces between the ex-- treme ends of the auto-transformer E will be equal in amount to the electro-motiveforce CA. In like manner it may be shown. how the electro-motive forces of other values and phases exist between the point C and points 1, 2, 3, etc., and also how the auto-transformer E may be provided with proper taps in order to deliver the same value of electrovmotive force as is represented by the line CA. In each of such cases the taps used in the auto-transformer E must be made at such a point in this winding that the number of turns in the portion between the tap and the end that will be connected to the point so that by connecting these taps or contacts the effect is the same as that described for the diagram 2, viz: to change the phase in the potential winding of the meter. In order that this result ma be brought about, the impedance coil is connected by wires m/- across the circuit lines a,- and -a, while the other impedance coil 'E- has one end connected by a wire to the circuit line o: and its opposite end connected by wires d and b to the shunt or potential windings p and p of the meters M- and S. For example, by shifting the switch member t from its zero position so as to electrically connect the'diametrically opposite taps in sequence or selectively, the phase in the current receiving device -E and also in the potential or shunt coil of the meter will be correspondingly changed, thus permitting the phase in the potential or shunt winding of the meter to be readily varied while the voltage value remains substantially the same or the phase kept substantially at any desired value and the amount of current through the meter series coils varied over a wide range or percentage.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus fpr modifying the phase of the electro-motive force impressed upon the shunt of an electric meter irrespective of the phase of the current passing through such meter, comprising two auto-transformers,

one of which has means for connecting it in one phase of an alternatmg current source and the other having means for connectingit to one of the conductors of a different phase of the same source and provided with means for connecting it to the shunt of a meter, said auto-transformers having separate series of taps intermediate their end leads, and means for selectively connecting the taps of one series with thoseof the other series in such manner as to keep the value of the electro-motive force in the shunt constant.

2. An apparatus for modifying the phase relation in the shunt of an electric meter irrespective of the phase relation in the series winding thereof comprising an autotransformer having means for connecting it in one phase of an alternating current source and provided with a series of taps, a separate transformer having means for connecting it to one of the conductors of a different phase of the same source and also provided with a series of taps, means for connecting it to the .shunt of a meter, and

means for selectively connecting the taps of one series with those of the other series in such manner as to keep the value of the ,electro-motive force in the shunt constant.

In witness whereof I-have hereunto set my hand on this 2nd day of March, 1912. HENRY J. BLAKESLEE.

Witnesses:

- H. E. CHASE,

E. S. TnoKER. 

